Help with oil leak - upper right rear

[wacko]

Hello all,

I have an oil leak I am trying to source and looking for some guidance from those who may have dealt with this before.

It seems to be coming from the passengers side rear of the engine. It collects along the rubber that runs along the upper valve cover and then runs down my heater hose and below the car.

It does not seem to be coming from the front of the engine triangle of death nor does it appear to be coming from the oil filler neck or breather hoses.

It seems to be much worse when the car is driven more spiritedly on track days.

Could it be the upper valve cover on that side? It is dry along the top of the valve cover and it's hard to tell along the bottom because that is where the oil seems to be collecting.

Or is it possible the oil is spraying up from under the car?

Here is a pic of the area from the top




Any tips appreciated

[kodioneill]

Warped valve cover possible rocker shaft leak. Pull the cover check it for warping with a straight edge then check the position of your rocker shafts and post photos. Just an aside the washer for your engine mount is upside down. The concave should face away from the mount including the bottom and trans mounts.

[Caledonian]

Originally Posted by kodioneill

Warped valve cover possible rocker shaft leak. Pull the cover check it for warping with a straight edge then check the position of your rocker shafts and post photos. Just an aside the washer for your engine mount is upside down. The concave should face away from the mount including the bottom and trans mounts.

Apparently the washers can go either way, there is a thread on here somewhere,it was in a Porsche tech bulletin for shifting I think. The washer orientationn in the pic shown above makes the mounts stiffer, and this was a fix or part of a fix for a certain shifting issue from what I can recall.

I did try to find the thread or it may have been a post in a thread, sorry so much stuff on here (good stuff ) if you don't bookmark it you can take an age to find it again.

[zelrik911]

Perhaps it's your oil pressure sender (&/or its mounting block) thats leaking.

My 3.0L leaks a bit in that spot & oil collects under the mounting block and pools there. If you have this leak, I can imagine some of this oil being thrown out if you corner or brake hard on the track.

With your heater hose 'backdating' you probably cant see any leakage there easily. On my car I have pushed a little chunk of sponge under the mounting block to soak up any drips (until I can fix it properly)

[wacko]

It seems dry around the oil pressure sending unit unless it is leaking at the banjo bolt at the corner of the valve cover. I am going to clean everything up and see if I can isolate the area.

[kidrock]

Originally Posted by wacko

It seems dry around the oil pressure sending unit unless it is leaking at the banjo bolt at the corner of the valve cover. I am going to clean everything up and see if I can isolate the area.

I had this exact same thing happen to me 2-3 weeks ago. It was indeed the banjo bolt at the corner of the valve cover. The crush washers "mushroomed" and allowed oil to weep profusely while driving, ending up burning and smoking on top of my SSI's. I replaced the crush washers, and *voila*. TIP: When replacing, don't use too much muscle to tighten...just snug 'em up firmly (I didn't use a torque value).

[wacko]

Quote de wacko

It seems dry around the oil pressure sending unit unless it is leaking at the banjo bolt at the corner of the valve cover. I am going to clean everything up and see if I can isolate the area.

I had this exact same thing happen to me 2-3 weeks ago. It was indeed the banjo bolt at the corner of the valve cover. The crush washers "mushroomed" and allowed oil to weep profusely while driving, ending up burning and smoking on top of my SSI's. I replaced the crush washers, and *voila*. TIP: When replacing, don't use too much muscle to tighten...just snug 'em up firmly (I didn't use a torque value).

Do I need to drain the oil first? What size crush washer do I need? Did you say washer"s"? Can I just pick it up at the local auto parts?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wacko

Do I need to drain the oil first? What size crush washer do I need? Did you say washer"s"? Can I just pick it up at the local auto parts?

You will find this leak. Everything is fairly accessible.

Banjo fittings require a crush washer on the top and bottom of the female banjo thingie that the bolt goes through.

I see lots of oil pan drain hole aluminum crush washers at Advance Auto. However, are all aluminum ones the same softness? You want to risk that? I would live with the leak for a week and find the right ones on Pelican. Even if it is not the problem, you will know you did it right. As kidrock says, tighten till you know the washers are getting smooshed a wee bit, no more.

I don't think you need to remove oil if you let it sit overnight. Some will probably spill but you are not "underwater" I believe.

For reference, John Walker mentioned that when you first turn the car off there may be only three or four quarts in the case bottom. When you let it sit over night the case bottom fills to seven-ish quarts. That would be gravity feed from the big oil tank and some drain down from the engine internals. If only five-ish quarts are in the big tank, that should put you below the subject banjo fitting.

Another thought is to just see if you can snug it up. If a little loose, there is a reason for that, so get the new washers and put it to bed.

[kidrock]

you won't need to drain any oil for this job. I personally wouldn't recommend using any other washers except Porsche-approved ones. It's not worth the risk, and my limited experience has been that these cars don't much like very many aftermarket parts, with a few quality exceptions of course.

There are 2 crush washers: one for the hollow bolt (I don't know the correct name of the part) which screws into the head, and another one for the banjo bolt that screws into the hollow bolt. Make sure all surfaces are ***clean*** before installation.

FWIW, the mushroomed washers that I replaced were very similar to the aluminum crush washers that are used on our valve covers. I happen to have a local independent shop that was very helpful in supplying the replacement washers, which were somewhat thinner and made of copper. I've had no leaking issues in over 2 weeks.

I see that you're in Chilliwack, I lived near Osoyoos several years ago. I'm sure that a local Pelican or independent shop in the area can supply what you need.

It's a very simple job, just make sure to not wrench down too hard on anything in there.

Good luck.

EDIT: I believe the part # for the copper washer is 900 123 009 20, and the aluminum washer is 900 123 101 30. These are the parts I ordered when I replaced my Oil Pressure Sender a couple of years ago. You should check these part #'s to make sure they are correct for your application.

[wacko]

I removed my heater hose and went for a spirited drive to get the oil pressure right up and it does not seem to be leaking from anywhere up top. The lower valve covers are leaking slightly. Like I mentioned above it is really only a problem at the track. I will keep an eye on it and report back with any findings.

Thanks for the replies

[snbush67]

Is it possible that the leak is coming from between the chain housing and cam shaft ?